Housing brings Bella Terra vision into focus

Development projects around the open-air Bella Terra shopping center are infusing the area in Huntington Beach with new urban living and retail spaces. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Bella Terra is set to be surrounded by new projects around the open-air shopping center. The projects will further invigorate the Huntington Beach area with new urban living and shopping. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Bella Terra is set to be surrounded by new projects that will bring urban living and shopping to the area in Huntington Beach. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Bella Terra is set to be surrounded by new projects around the open-air shopping center. The projects will further invigorate the Huntington Beach area with new urban living and shopping. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The Residences at Bella Terra, left, is adjacent to Bella Terra, right, the open air shopping center in Huntington Beach. The Residences is an apartment complex which is one of the new projects built to further invigorate the Huntington Beach area with new urban living and shopping. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The Residences at Bella Terra is leasing for its 467-unit development adjacent to Bella Terra, an open-air shopping center in Huntington Beach. PHOTOS: ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Historical photo of Huntington Center, which opened in the 1960s PHOTO COURTESY HUNTINGTON BEACH CITY HISTORIAN JERRY PERSON

From 2004: Demolition of the old Huntington Center is underway as they make room for Bella Terra. FILE PHOTO: STARR BUCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Construction kicked off on Thursday for the 30,000 sqaure-foot Vans Off the Wall Skatepark. The park will be free and open to the public. It is expected to open in spring. PHOTO COURTESY VF OUTDOOR INC.

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The 30,000 square foot skatepark in Huntington Beach will feature a clover bowl, rails, stairs, ramps and boxes. The park will be free and open to the public. PHOTO COURTESY VF OUTDOOR INC.

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An aerial rendering show the conceptual design for the 30,000 square foot Vans Off the Wall Skatepark. The park will be free and open to the public and Vans officials say they expect to hold several large skate and BMX events at the venue. PHOTO COURTESY VF OUTDOOR INC.

Buffalo Wild Wings – A popular chain restaurant that serves various styles of wings, burgers and sandwiches.

And residents can expect to see a Casey's Cupcakes coming soon to Bella Terra. An opening date is not yet known.

What's up with the skate park?

The much-anticipated world-class Vans skate park will be opening a little later than originally planned.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place in February, but construction permits weren't issued until March. Construction has started, and crews are working on excavating sewage infrastructure, according to Vans spokesman Chris Overholser.

The company hopes to open the free skate park to the public by the end of September.

The Off the Wall Skate Park near Center Avenue and Gothard Street will be the company's first free skate and BMX park with features similar to what athletes may find in a street environment.

The skate park will include a 15,000-square-foot skate bowl and a 12,000-square-foot skate plaza featuring boxes, rails and other amenities for skaters.

The park will be open seven days a week and will be lighted for night riding. Vans also expects to host several large-scale skating and BMX events at the facility.

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Apartment living with pedestrian-friendly walkways linked to a bustling shopping center full of eateries and shops has been the plan for the Beach Boulevard and Edinger Avenue area for more than a decade.

While Bella Terra has been a popular shopping destination for years, the city's ultimate vision for the area is now coming to fruition. One apartment development is nearly complete, and several more are slated for the area.

The plan looked to morph the defunct Huntington Center shopping mall, which closed in 2003, into a metropolis that blends working, living and shopping.

"I think the intent behind the whole Beach/Edinger Corridor study was to make it very livable, workable and walkable," said City Manager Fred Wilson. "From our perspective, the project is unfolding the way it is supposed to, and we're pretty excited and confident about it becoming a vibrant part of the city."

The goal is to create what staffers call "town centers" – places where cars are rarely needed and everything is easily accessible. Pedestrian pathways will link residences to Bella Terra and other nearby shopping centers.

The Residences at Bella Terra, approved in 2010, is now leasing for its 467-unit development formerly known as the Village at Bella Terra. About 70 of those units will be slated for affordable housing, and the project will also include 13,500 square feet of amenities and 17,000 square feet of retail.

The next development expected to come online is Boardwalk – a 487-unit development that will replace the former Levitz site, which closed in February 2008.

Fifty-seven of these units are expected to be earmarked for affordable housing.

Boardwalk is expected to start moving in residents by May 2014.

A third planned project, HB Lofts, has stalled because of economic roadblocks, but the project will also bring a mixed-use development that will blend about 385 units with 10,000 square feet of retail space.

HB Lofts was approved in 2008, but an anticipated opening date has not yet been set.

Although intensively-planned, projects for the Beach and Edinger Avenue area haven't been without criticism.

Over the years, residents have raised concerns about traffic, overpopulation and accessibility of the area.

Tim Castroreale, a Fountain Valley Realtor and Huntington Beach native, said other areas in Orange County have attempted the "urban living" style of development, including Irvine and the Platinum Triangle in Anaheim.

But Surf City is not ideal for this kind of project, he said.

"I think it's too small of an area," Castroreale said. "Getting in and out of Bella Terra is already hard. I can't imagine what (the traffic) is going to be like when they move everybody in."

While the project is good in theory, he questioned whether it will function as planned.

"In Southern California, everyone drives for everything," he said.

Wilson said the city plans to improve the Beach and Edinger intersection in a few years, and officials hope more people will take up walking to dinner and their favorite stores instead of driving.

Ultimately, the Bella Terra area is a testament to Surf City's ability to experiment and progress, he said.

"It's been a good thing for us," Wilson said. "I think more than anything it's going to show Huntington Beach can evolve and change as times change."

BELLA TERRA TIMELINE

1966: Huntington Center opens as one of the first enclosed malls in Southern California. The mall's anchors are Broadway, JCPenney and Montgomery Ward.

1986: An expansion of the mall includes Mervyn's.

1990s: Huntington Center starts to lose its appeal as competing malls gain popularity in Orange County. Retailers start to close their doors.

2005: San Jose-based DJM Capital Partners Inc. buys Bella Terra for $228 million. The transaction is the second largest commercial sale of the year in O.C. In November, dozens of stores open, including the 20-screen movie theater.

2006: September marks the official grand opening of Bella Terra, which includes a multiday celebration inviting the community to explore the new retail center.

2008: Mervyn's and Circuit City close.

2010: The Montgomery Ward building is demolished to make room for the Village at Bella Terra. Whole Foods opens in the former Circuit City space.

2012: Costco opens in the former Mervyn's space.

Source: Orange County Register archives and labelscar.com.

VOICES

Caroline Brandenburger:

"I consider Bella Terra as a city core of Huntington Beach. Bella Terra has great restaurants, movie theaters and the best shopping available in Huntington Beach. With the new Costco that opened last May, I can honestly say I am at Bella Terra twice or three times a week. When my family of 5 (including 3 children) want to go out to eat, 9 times out of 10, it will be at a restaurant within Bella Terra. When my husband and I find time for a date night, we go to Bella Terra for dinner and a movie and then a coffee after dinner. After dining there every Saturday, we head to the amphitheater in front of the movie theaters and enjoy live music during the spring and summer months. When I take my kids clothes shopping, we go to the Kohl's, HSS, Carter's and Justice. Each time they open a new store or restaurant, I can't wait to try it out. ...

The new apartments being built are absolutely beautiful. Yes, there may be added traffic, but hopefully people can also drive in on Gothard Street and then Center Avenue to park near the back area, that way they avoid Edinger Avenue/Beach Boulevard.

Of course we love going to downtown on Main Street. However, when you have little kids like I do, I much prefer Bella Terra as my choice for an evening out because the crowd is calmer, more family-friendly, and there aren't really bars at Bella Terra. I view the new changes at Bella Terra as very positive, promising and exciting!"

Melissa Powers:

"I love it. The Edinger/Beach area has been a dump for years. This has revitalized the area. Shoppers spend money, and money equals sales tax that the city gets. Helping people get a better lot in life only leads to good things."

Allison Harvey:

"I think building apartments there was dumb – more traffic, more pollution and there are enough residents concentrated around the area already. I'm afraid of more accidents."

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